In The Mourning, I Will Follow You
by LivingNight
Summary: Muggle-Borns are being killed by remaining Death Eaters years after the war. There is only one auror who will be able to protect Hermione and her kids after the death of her husband. How will Hermione be able to cope with such a tragic loss? POST HOGWARTS (On Hiatus)
1. The Funeral

**A/N: So bear with me, not only is this my first Harry Potter fanfic, but I majorly suck at grammar as well. In the mean time I hope you enjoy the first chapter! The dates may differ in this story a bit; it is set in 2010, Hermione would be 30 by that time so just pretend she's 25. Also, I'm American so excuse my lack of British slang.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter. I just like to write about it.**

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><p>Many years had gone by since the end of the war with Voldemort. Everything was meant to go back to normal, and it did for a while. Hermione had even managed to find her parents a few days after the war, restoring their memories was the hard part but she had eventually accomplished it.<p>

Hermione had gone back to school to finish her final year at Hogwarts, as head girl of course, along with Ginny. All while Ron and Harry went through with Auror training.

Despite being away from Ron, after finally getting together, the months they spent away from each other proved that their love was stronger than ever. Sure they'd visit each other during the Christmas holidays, and during Hogsmeade outings, but it just wasn't enough for either of them anymore. After basically living with each other for months, prior to the final battle, such a huge separation seemed unnatural to them.

A few weeks after graduating from Hogwarts Ron proposed; to say it was the happiest moment of her life was an understatement. They eventually decided to get married that summer, August 12th to be precise along with Ginny and Harry. Though Harry and Ginny loved each other very much their reason for marriage and going through with such a hasty marriage was quite different. A few days after graduating from Hogwarts Ginny had broken the news, she was expecting.

Molly and Arthur Weasley weren't quite thrilled to say the least, but at least Harry was doing the honorable thing. As the wedding ended that afternoon in August, everything seemed to be changing for the better. Even George Weasley was seen laughing and pulling a few pranks, something that hadn't been seen since the death of his twin brother Fred.

As the months passed by Ron and Harry finished their Auror training and Hermione landed a job at the ministry soon after the wedding. Ginny and Harry immediately moved to Grimmauld Place and welcomed their baby boy James Sirius Potter II in March, while Ron and Hermione bought a descent sized home in London, hoping to start a family soon.

By the time Ron and Hermione turned 21 their wish was finally granted, Hermione had given birth to Rose Weasley. A few months after Rose was born Ginny and Harry welcomed their second son Albus Severus Potter. About a year and a half later Ginny and Hermione had given birth once again; their names were Hugo Weasley and Lily Luna Potter. It was like a fairytale ending. Their families were expanding, they were happily married with two kids, Hermione and Ron couldn't ask for more.

Who would have known that everything would change a mere 3 years after Hugo's birth? Muggleborns were being assassinated once again. Harry and Ron were put on the case, as they were the best aurors in the department along with Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

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><p>"Mione…everything will be alright." Harry spoke soothingly. As Hermione looked around the cemetery slowly she spotted the rest of the Weasley's, along with a few old friends, she couldn't help but let out an excruciating sob. Her eyes were bloodshot and she hadn't slept for days since the incident. What broke her heart the most was seeing Rose crying her heart out in front of her father's grave. She didn't deserve to experience loss so early in life. She had fought so hardly during the war… so her kids wouldn't be able to experience such pain and heartache. Were her struggles all for nothing?<p>

"Let me take Hugo, he's exhausted and you've been carrying him around the whole ceremony." Fleur spoke gently as she pried little Hugo away from her arms. At this point Hermione didn't have the strength to protest anymore.

As Hermione walked towards Rose she knelt down and pulled her daughter into her arms. Everything was supposed to go according to plan, Harry and Ron were supposed to catch the imbecile behind the attacks, but instead the remaining death eaters ambushed them.

"Daddy will come back mummy. He will won't he?" Spoke Rose quietly as she held onto her mother tightly. Rose had inherited Hermione's brown hair, though not as bushy, but her eyes…her eyes, were like exact replicas of her fathers. Constantly reminding her of the man she loved so greatly.

"No sweetie, he won't, but he'll always love you." Hermione said quietly as she stared at the gravestone reading RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY – LOVING, HUSBAND, FATHER, & FRIEND. It took all her strength not to break down in front of Rose, but she would do it, she needed to be strong, now more than ever, for Hugo and Rose.

Hermione stood and raised her wand producing a wide range of flowers in front of Ron's tombstone, as she said a silent goodbye. Hermione stood up carefully, carried Rose, and proceeded to follow Harry out of the cemetery, as Rose kicked and screamed to be taken back to her father's grave.

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><p>Everybody was gathered at the Burrow offering Hermione their condolences, but slowly but surely the crowd started to disappear little by little until the only people left were the Weasley's, Harry and Kingsley Shacklebolt.<p>

"Hermione, we need to keep you and the kids as safe as possible. Those death eaters knew exactly who Harry and Ron were. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to pay your home a visit anytime soon."

"What are you insinuating Kingsley?" Hermione asked harshly.

"The ministry has decided to relocate your family to a different flat in London; an auror will also be with you at all times." Everybody around the room eyed Hermione carefully afraid to witness her reaction.

"I understand relocating but why the hell would I need an auror with me at all times. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and the kids; I've fought in a bloody war for merlin's sake!"

"Hermione, we're aware that you're capable of very powerful magic, but it's not enough! I've seen what they're capable of; they won't take pity on you or the kids!" Harry spoke angrily as he glared at Hermione. He had watched his best friend die as he stood there watching the killing curse strike his chest. He was suffering the same way Hermione was. Ron was a part of them.

"Harry…" Tears were cascading down her face as she stared at her best friend. He hadn't spoken to anyone about that dreadful night in Scotland, except for Kingsley.

"I volunteer to watch over Hermione and the kids Kingsley." Harry said proudly.

"I will not let you do that! You have a family of your own Harry! I will not let you give up your time with your family in order to protect mine. That would just be selfish of me. Kingsley there must be someone else capable for the job." She stared at Kingsley silently begging that he wouldn't put Harry on the case. She knew Harry was the best man for the job but no! She couldn't do that to him.

"Potter, you're emotionally involved in this case, I can't assign you this task, and I hope you understand why I'm doing this." Harry balled his fists but reluctantly nodded in approval, as Ginny took hold of his hand trying to calm him before he lost his temper. "I have someone in mind but it will have to wait until tomorrow. He's perfectly qualified for the task; I just hope he'll agree."

The mood in the room remained stressed, Harry looked angry at the idea of not being able to protect one of his closest and dearest friends. Ginny looked relieved but as she looked at Hermione everyone knew that she was worried for her safety as well.

"What if Harry and I took our kids along? That way we'd be safe as well." Spoke up Ginny.

"Your family is safe for now Mrs. Potter if these attacks continue the wizarding community will think we've given you special accommodations."

Slow footsteps were heard descending from the staircase, that was the end of that conversation; Harry would not be in charge of her family. "Hermione, Hugo's asking for you." Fleur said as she walked down.

"Go ahead Mrs. Weasley. I'll owl you early in the morning with news." Hermione reluctantly said goodbye to Kingsley as she headed upstairs, eyeing everyone in the room carefully.

"Thank you Fleur, you've been a great help with Hugo today." She hugged Fleur thankfully. "It wasn't a problem ze is far more calm than Victoire." Despite moving to London, Fleur's thick French accent tended to escape her every once in a while.

As she walked up the familiar staircase she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She would have to move with her kids. The home they had worked so hard for, where her happiest memories had occurred.

"Mum!" She walked hurriedly as she heard Hugo screaming, she quickly sat down by his side as he hugged her waist tightly. "What's wrong Hugo?" She asked as she stroked his back soothingly.

"There are noises coming from up there." He pointed his little finger towards the attic. It was at that moment that she realized where she was. Ronalds old bedroom. The chudley canon posters still littered the walls, along with a few pictures of her and Harry. Even one of his old jumpers was lying in the in the middle of the room. The ghoul must have still been hidden in the attic.

"Don't worry sweetie, it's just the friendly ghoul that lives upstairs, he won't hurt you." Her words seemed to calm Hugo down immediately; he was already drifting off to sleep. Unlike Rose, Hugo looked nothing like Hermione; he was the living image of his father. As Hugo fell into a deep sleep she tucked him back in and cast a silencing charm on the attic as she slowly walked out only to come face to face with George Weasley.

"I've lost another brother, Hermione. I know that losing a brother isn't the same as losing a husband, but I just want you to know… if there is anything you want to talk about I'm always here." George had grown so much since he lost his brother. In spite of all the heartache he married Angelina Johnson and had a two-year-old son Fred Weasley the II in memory of his brother.

"Thank you but I don't think I'll ever be able to talk about it. It's just the way I am." She said sadly.

"I know," said George with a half smile as he pulled her into a brotherly hug sensing that it was one of the things she needed the most for the time being.

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><p>"You asked for me sir?" Kingsley Shackelbolt was currently sitting at his desk going through recent reports on more death threats toward muggleborn wizards when the young auror walked in.<p>

"Yes please take a seat." He sat down reluctantly as he took in the spacious office. He had never been called into the Minister of Magics office; it had to be a life or death matter.

"As you are most likely aware one of our Aurors was brutally murdered this past week." Kingsley eyed the man in front of him cautiously as he nodded in response.

"Due to the gravity of the situation we've decided to place an auror inside the family's home until its safe. I believe you're the perfect candidate for the job."

"Why not Potter?"

"He's emotionally involved and you're the next best thing Mr. Malfoy."

**Well what do you guys think? Review please it would certainly make my day! The music I listened to while writing this chapter ranged from Adele, to Death Cab For Cutie to Mumford & Sons.**


	2. Leaving

**A/N: Thank you to everybody who reviewed and added this story to their alerts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe, all credit goes to the brilliant woman J.K Rowling.**

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><p>"I can't, I just can't, not only does Granger despise me but I can't just leave my son with my parents for months." Draco knew that catching this rampant murderer would take weeks if not months to capture. The git had killed one of the best aurors in all of Britain, who knew how much longer it would take to capture him.<p>

"I've given this issue a lot of thought Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure you and Mrs. Weasley have a few differences but I believe you two will come to an agreement soon enough," said Kingsley. Malfoy was sure that there was no way in hell that Granger would ever forgive him for the hell he put her through in their years at Hogwarts. He had tortured her verbally for years, tormenting her with such a belittling voice, especially when he taunted her for her blood status. Despite being a complete prick at Hogwarts he had grown to be a better man. He didn't hold the idiotic prejudice against muggle-borns anymore but knowing Granger, he was sure she still held at least a small grudge towards him.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Kingsley decided to speak once again. "Your son might be an issue. I hadn't considered his well-being in my plan. I will need to have a word with Hermione soon."

"Scorpius will have a hard time adjusting to Grangers kids' minister. I believe this arrangement will not be an amicable one." For Scorpius' sake he wanted to avoid this assignment as much as he could. Scorpius was used to the luxuries he had inherited, moving in with others he didn't know would be a rude awakening for his son. He could just imagine the massive tantrums he would have to endure in the weeks to come.

"I am sure your son will manage. He is only four years old, is he not?"

"Well yes he's four but…" The look of pure anger on Kinglsey's face shut him right up. He sure didn't want to be on the Minister of Magic's bad side anytime soon.

"I'm sorry, my decision has been made. If Hermione agrees to welcome your son in, then you shall be moving in immediately and you will not by any circumstances leave her family's side," Kingsley said angrily, he wasn't in the mood for pathetic childhood arguments. Draco had proved he was a better man after the war and he hoped Hermione felt the same way. "I will be owling Mrs. Weasley as soon as you leave my office. I suggest you start packing for the time being."

"Yes minister," said Draco respectfully as he was walking out the door.

"Oh and, I suggest you explain the circumstances to your son. I don't want the Weasley kids put under anymore stress as it is."

"As you wish."

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><p>"Thank you Molly, the kids and I really enjoyed our time here." Despite being surrounded by the people she loved Hermione could not wait to be in the comfort of her own home. Not to mention the constant look of grief on everybody's faces were finally getting to her.<p>

"Hermione, this has always been your home there is no need to thank me or Arthur." Molly smiled warmly as Hermione took hold of Rose and Hugo's hands and flooed to her home in London.

"We're home!" yelled Hugo excitedly. She knew Hugo was too young to understand the severity of the current situation, but his childlike innocence made things more bearable for her. Rose on the other hand was an extremely bright four year old. Ron had always said she had inherited her brains. To put things bluntly Rose wasn't handling her father's death well.

"Mum can I have some hot chocolate?" Rose asked quietly. It was the first time she had spoken since Hermione had carried her out of the cemetery.

"Me too, please mummy!" said Hugo cheerfully jumping on the balls of his feet.

"Sure I'll have it out in a couple of minutes, go ahead upstairs and get changed into your pajamas for now."

The moment she sent both of them upstairs she heard the familiar tapping of an owl at the kitchen window. By the looks of it Kingsley had stayed true to his word.

_Dear Mrs. Weasley, _

_It has been brought to my attention that the current auror I have in mind for the task will need accommodations for his son. He is only four years old, so I'm hoping Rose and he will become a great friend, that is if you allow it of course. I hope to hear from you soon. He is the best auror, please try to be open minded about the situation, I'm sure the child won't be a burden._

_Sincerely,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

Having another kid in the house would be a nightmare, she could barely handle Rose and Hugo's bickering sometimes. She could just imagine what adding another kid to the equation would do, but she would be willing to sacrifice her sanity to keep her kids safe.

_Kingsley,_

_I am willing to accommodate his son, I'm sure it will be hard at first but I'm hoping things will settle down eventually. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Hermione_

She was eagerly waiting to meet the auror who would spend a countless amount of months with her. She wondered who it could possibly be, Dean Thomas, Zabini, Nott; they were the best aurors in the department as far as she was aware of, even Ron spoke highly of Zabini's auror skills.

In that moment a bright green light shone from her fireplace. As she walked forward hesitantly she saw Harry walking out of her fireplace. "Harry, what are you doing here?"

"I was just with Kingsley and he sent me along to help you start packing," said Harry.

"Tonight? We're leaving tonight? How is that possible, I just sent Kingsley my response? Owls can't possibly travel _that_ fast?" Hermione looked around her home nervously. In just a few hours she would be leaving, she was sure of it.

"He was expecting you to disagree, so he sent me here straight away. Well let's start shall we?" he said.

"I promised the kids some hot chocolate before you arrived, would you like some?" as if on cue Rose and Hugo bounded down the stairs.

"Uncle Harry!" yelled Rose. Out of all the family members Harry was always the favorite uncle. Who could blame her kids, despite being adults Harry and Ron were still practically glued to each other's sides, that is, until that night.

"Rose, I haven't seen you in ages!" He grinned brightly as he picked her up.

"You're silly Uncle Harry, I just saw you this morning."

"Alright you lot, the hot chocolate is ready." Hermione said, as she placed three cups on the dining room table. "Where's Hugo?"

"I…" Rose looked around nervously, avoiding her mother's glare. "It's just, Hugo…was talking about dad and ummm…"

"Rose Weasley! What have you done to your brother?" Hermione yelled angrily as she ran upstairs to find Hugo. Looking around Hugo's room she noticed a small huddled body in the corner of the room, shaking violently with sobs. "Hugo?" Hermione said quietly as she leaned down and hugged him, "What's wrong?"

"Rosie yelled at me…she said dad …" He hiccupped and broke down once again; he wrapped his arms around Hermione's neck and kept murmuring words she did not recognize.

"Calm down Hugo." She said as she stroked his back and held him tightly "What exactly did Rose say?"

"She said …she said…dad was never coming back. That's not true, right mum? He promised…he said he was going to teach me how to play Quidditch next year. Dad never breaks his promises!" yelled Hugo angrily. "Rose is just a big fat liar! She's jealous that dad likes me more than her!"

"Hugo! Your dad loved you both equally, but you have to understand, dad's not going to be here anymore." In that moment Hugo got out of her embrace faster than a hippogriff. The anger in his eyes could not be mistaken, he stood in front of Hermione on the verge of hitting her when Harry appeared in the room and snatched him before he could attempt to punch Hermione. Hermione on the other hand just sat glued to her spot on the floor not knowing what to do.

"You do not treat your mother like that; your dad would be highly upset if he saw your behavior." Harry said sternly.

"Well he's not here, is _he?_" yelled Hugo angrily.

Rose stood in the doorway looking on guiltily as her little brother lashed out in Harry's arms. "Hugo…" she spoke softly. Hugo finally seemed to calm down once he heard Rose's voice; he quickly jumped out of Harry's arms and ran towards Rose.

"Rosie, daddy's not coming back." With those words said, Rose embraced Hugo in a tight hug as Harry and Hermione watched from the opposite side of the bedroom.

"Harry, I didn't want things to end like this." Harry looked at Hermione and at the scene before him. Brother and sister embraced in a hug, grieving the loss of their father. He knew what he had to do. He had to kill the bastard who murdered his best friend, a man who didn't care if Ron left a wife and two kids behind, a man who just wanted revenge for the death of his master.

"I will hunt him down Hermione. _Believe_ me, I'll _get_ my revenge." Harry said angrily.

As the afternoon passed by, Harry and Hermione had managed to pack up the most important things in the room. It had taken a while to calm Hugo down, but with Rose's help they managed to settle him down. Four large trunks sat by the front entrance containing everything necessary, with the help of an extension charm nonetheless. All they had to do now was wait for Kingsley to arrive.

"When do you reckon he'll be here?" asked Hermione.

"It won't be long now. Everything was almost set this morning. The ministry is probably adding extra wards to the flat just to be safe."

"Harry you wouldn't possibly know who the auror is? Would you?" She asked.

"Not a cl—"

Kingsley had apparrated right before their eyes looking a bit agitated.

"Are you ready Mrs. Weasley?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." She said with a sigh as she stood up from the couch and picked up Rose who had fallen asleep along with Hugo.

"I'll take Hugo." Said Harry as he bent down to scoop up little Hugo in his arms.

"Very well then, I've gotten a portkey that will transport us to your secret location in exactly three minutes. House elves will be in charge of bringing back your belongings." Kingsley took out a raggedy old hanger and placed his hand upon it as Hermione and Harry followed in suit. They waited patiently until they felt the familiar pull somewhere behind their navel and were transported into an unfamiliar flat.

The walls were bare, making everything around them seem cold and unwelcoming. As they moved along the narrow hall they had finally reached the main room in the flat, at least this room contained more color than its entrance. The couches were a deep red reminding Hermione of some of the furniture in the Gryffindor common room. The floors were a deep cherry wood; a desk and center table were also there. Both strangely black. As Hermione continued to eye the room she couldn't help but notice that the throw pillows and a few blankets placed upon the couch were green. Zabini must have been assigned to her; why else would they blatantly mix Gryffindor and Slytherin colors.

"Go ahead take a look, it's not much but I'm sure you'll find it comfortable enough." Kingsley said excitedly.

Hermione walked around the room taking in every detail. She moved towards one of the three couches about to set Rose down when she noticed a little boy already sleeping soundly in it, a small _blond_ boy.

**A/N: Review please I'd really appreciate it. Next chapter, Hermione and Draco finally come face to face.**


	3. Meeting Again

**A/N: Warning I didn't check for grammar at all during this chapter. Sorry guys for taking so long to update. There's a good reason though a Harry Potter marathon distracted me and I went on a mini vacation with my family. Then I got a new laptop, and then I went to the midnight harry potter screening, now on to the new chapter.**

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><p>The almost white blond hair looked so eerily familiar to Hermione, where had she seen it before?<p>

"Ah, I see he has arrived here before us. Great." said Kinglsey.

In that instant Harry had gone white as a ghost and stood rigidly beside Hermione, everything just seemed to be going wrong in Hermione's life. The moment she saw Harry's blanched expression was the moment she put the pieces of the puzzle together and figured out why Harry was so uncommonly pale and looking deeply perturbed. Why didn't she recognize it before! That white _blond_ hair was recognizable anywhere, but where was he? Was he hiding somewhere waiting for a chance to pounce on her with an immeasurable amount of insults? She should of known it was him, Ron was always saying he was second best compared to Harry, how could something so blatantly clear escape her.

"Kingsley, why would you do this? You know they haven't gotten along since we were both at Hogwarts." As Harry spoke to Kingsley a blond haired man emerged from a different room in the flat, wearing the same expression Harry wore only moments ago.

"I'm willing to put myself through torturous times Potter." said the man standing before the three adults.

"If protecting my family and I is such a torture why don't you just go home and piss off Malfoy." She had just lost her husband and Kingsley expected her to live harmoniously with ferret faced Draco Malfoy. Hermione knew that holding such a grudge on the Malfoy family was unreasonable but what could you expect; she was tortured in their home as they stood by and watched her suffer under Bellatrix's cruciatus curse.

"Language Granger, there are kids in the room." He spat back menacingly.

"I don't think this is such a great idea." said Harry.

"Trust me Potter I said the same thing, but he insisted."

"I stand by with my decision Mr. Malfoy, I know that your skills as an auror are beyond great, you and Hermione will eventually get along, _hopefully_." Kingsley eyed everyone in the room dauntingly, you could practically smell the hostility in the air.

"I'm willing to get along with her for the sake of my son." Spoke Draco quietly, Hermione eyed him curiously trying to decipher if his words were honest or just a farce, she eventually gave in a few seconds later, his words seemed sincere enough for the time being.

"Fine, we're both grown adults we might as well bear each others company for the next couple of months." Hermione said grudgingly towards Malfoy.

"Your rooms are upstairs, feel free make any changes in the decor. The wards are also up, the only people allowed through are Harry here and myself, is that understood I don't want any alterations made under any circumstances. The ministry will allow alterations to be made on the wards if we believe it is safe to do so." Malfoy, Harry, and Hermione nodded in unison taking in the severity of the current situation.

Hermione slowly set Rose down on the opposite couch as Harry handed Hugo over. "Well, take care Hermione, I'll drop by whenever it's possible." They hugged each other briefly and then he was gone disapparating with a faint pop.

"I should be going as well. Mr. Malfoy, I will be sending you weekly reports each friday morning informing you with any news in the case and requiring your input." Malfoy nodded understandingly as Kingsley disapparated as well.

They both stood awkwardly in the center of the living room waiting for someone to speak up first. As Hermione took in his appearance, she came to the realization that he hadn't changed much in the last couple of years. He still sported the same pale white blond hair, though it looked purposely tousled unlike their earlier years at Hogwarts where it was mostly slicked back, his face was still pale and pointed _almost_ giving off a vibe of aristocracy that was expected in the Malfoy family.

"I guess we should put the kids to bed." Hermione spoke up bravely.

"The rooms are around the corner to your right. There's a problem though..." Malfoy took his son in his arms as he began walking toward the rooms, Hermione following close behind.

"What else could possibly go wrong?" She asked angrily as he made an abrupt stop in front of one of the rooms.

"The ministry only provided us with four rooms."

"We are not sharing a room!" Malfoy looked at her with a bewildered expression, he hadn't even considered sharing a room with her until she brought it up.

"Actually, I was thinking the boys could share the room since there are two small beds in it already." As he opened the door Hermione walked in quickly trying to avoid meeting Malfoy face to face, she probably looked like a bright red tomato.

"Oh, that's fine with me." She silently set Hugo down on the small bed as she tucked him in a placed a brief kiss to his forehead.

"If things don't work out I'll gladly keep Scorpius in my room." He said quickly.

"Why wouldn't things work out? Their just kids Malfoy."

"Granger, we were just kids when we first met, look how our _relationship _turned out." She glared at the back of his head as he set his son down as well.

"Well the circumstances are different this time," she started walking out of the room, this time Malfoy was the one following her, as they finally closed the boys bedroom door she stood before him with hatred deep in her eyes " I hope you've been raising him differently, I don't want any pureblood supremacy bullshit in my kids lives!" She yelled angrily as she dug her index finger into Malfoy's chest.

"The way I raise my child is none of your concern _Granger_!" He spat angrily as he took hold of her wrist.

"Mummy..."

Both adults stood awkwardly in the hallway as they spotted the little girl standing before them looking frightened. "Rose..." Hermione said quietly as she removed Malfoys hand from her wrist and taking a stride towards her daughter as he scooped her up in her arms. "Why were you yelling? Who is he?"

"Rose this is Draco Malfoy, he's in charge of protecting us for a few weeks." Rose turned away from her mothers face and looked at Malfoy up and down.

"Hi..." she said shyly.

Malfoys cold demeanor cracked for a brief moment as he smiled at Rose and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Rose, would you like to see your new room." Rose nodded shyly as Malfoy showed Hermione the way towards the young girls room.

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><p><strong>AN: I know it's a really short update but I promise to update very soon, please review. Also, what did you think about the Deathly Hallows Part 2?**


	4. Getting Acquainted

**A/N: Thank you to everybody who added me to their alerts and for all the lovely reviews. Keep it up it makes me update quicker. Now onto the story.**

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><p>"Here it is," Malfoy looked at Hermione as she set Rose down slightly pushing her towards her new bedroom. "You can decorate it anyway you want, as long as your mother agrees."<p>

"Can we paint it purple?" Rose asked both of them excitedly. It surprised Hermione how something as miniscule as a new room tended to cheer a kid up, in that moment she was glad for the sudden change of environment, being overcrowded by the Weasley family wouldn't of helped the healing process for Rose, Hugo and herself, if she could overcome it, he had been one of her best friends after all, the marriage came later.

"Of course sweetie," replied Hermione as she thanked Malfoy silently for not taking control of the situation and letting her have an input in the decorating process, " but now it is way past your bedtime so lets get you to bed missy." Rose quickly settled into her new bed instantly. "Mum, can Crookshanks sleep with me tonight?" She put on a puppy dog faced look, knowing fairly well that Hermione rarely let Crookshanks sleep with her or Hugo.

Hermione's pet cat was finally reaching the final days of its long-lived life. It seemed like it was just yesterday when she had bought her old half kneazle cat at Magical Menagarie in Diagon Ally, she couldn't help but remember how he'd lunged himself at Ron trying to attack Scabbers or better yet Peter Pettrigrew; nobody would question Crookshanks again after the Pettigrew incident. If it weren't for Crookshanks, Sirius Black would of probably died at an earlier time. _Maybe_ if Crookshanks took a liking to Malfoy she would know whether his intentions were sincere and in no way malevolent. As if sensing Hermione's thoughts Crookshanks appeared silently beside her.

"Ah, there he is, I was beginning to wonder when he'd escape his cage. Be careful with him Rose you know he's been a bit fragile lately." Crookshanks gave a disapproving hiss the moment the word _fragile _escaped Hermione's lips; Sirius was right about him after all, he was one of the most intelligent creatures of its kind. Crookshanks nestled himself up beside Rose as she drifted off to sleep in their supposed new _home. _Slowly making her way out of the room Hermione closed the door as gently as possible, not wanting to wake Rose up, before looking back at Malfoy.

"That's some ugly cat you have there, Granger," said Malfoy spitefully.

"I reckon he is ten times better looking than you ever were as an albino ferret haired creature during fourth year!" Malfoy glared at her angrily, what Barty Crouch Jr. had done to him during his fourth year had seriously left his ego bruised for most of that year. He could most certainly recall the overwhelming amount of snickers around the Slytherin common room every time he entered or exited the room, and not to mention the constant badgering on Pansy Parkinson's behalf.

"Whatever Granger, your room is the last one in the hall, my bedroom is right next door in case anything happens you know where to look. Painting...such a mundane way to handle things, we could just charm it a different color." With that said Malfoy marched to his room leaving behind an echoing slam land a fuming Hermione.

Upon entering her new bedroom the sick sense of complete loneliness settled its way in. Her kids were safe and sound in the room next door, nothing else should of mattered, but her bottled up feelings betrayed her. She had prevented herself from crying since she'd heard about Ron's death, only crying in front of Harry and her kids felt right, and even then it wasn't an intense desperate cry over her loss. Nevertheless in this lonely room with bare walls lacking memories the impending tears she had held back cascaded down her face at last.

She had grown used to her constant bickering with Ron; that bickering just wasn't possible anymore. She shut the door to her new room and fell to the floor consumed in the darkness; the only light visible was from the moon, just barely illuminating the room as the window was so small. As the moments slowly ticked by she began to sob hysterically, something she never did. Everyone viewed her as the brave war heroine, fearless, compassionate, and the brightest witch of her age but beneath her usually hard exterior lay a fragile person, scared of truly letting others see how truly vulnerable she could be. Only a select few knew who she really was. Little did she know that a particular blond male next door could hear her sobs of heartache.

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><p>Draco Malfoy wasn't known for being an emotional man, he was mostly known for his hard demeanor and arrogance but since the war had ended things had changed drastically. His first changes began when his father was incarcerated in Azkaban, then things had really started to change when Voldemort had assigned him to kill Professor Dumbledore. His family's safety was thrust upon his shoulders that year; in the end he still hadn't had the courage to murder Dumbledore. It was also the moment he had realized how wrong Voldemorts ways were, killing people due to the blood that ran through their veins was just wrong. Muggle-borns were just a as capable as pure-blooded wizards, Hermione for example always seemed to excel in every subject despite his attempts at getting better marks than her. By the time the war had reached Hogwarts his alliance with the death eaters was barely existent, it was also the first time he took Harry Potters side, it was also the first time he had defended Hermione Granger. When Crabbe had aimed and shot the killing curse at her he had set his mind in protecting her, though it seemed as though he were protecting Harry Potter it was she he was defending. Now years later it seemed as though he was being forced to protect her, oh how wrong they were. With all those thoughts in mind he drifted off to sleep, the violent sobbing in the background had yet to cease, but he would do nothing about.<p>

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><p>The next morning she awoke in the same exact spot as the night before, her body ached both physically and emotionally she only hoped nobody would notice her blotchy face. Finally taking in her surroundings she came to the realization that her bedroom also had a bathroom, along with a couch in the corner of the room. Deciding to shower before her day began she walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. As she took in her appearance at the vanity mirror she realized how pale and tired she'd become, her face was blotchy, pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she had lost weight, come to think of it, she couldn't recall the last time she had eaten a proper meal. As she stepped into the shower the hot water soothed her aching body; she would never sleep on that damn floor ever again.<p>

Making her way towards the kitchen she noticed that the trunks she'd left in the living room were empty except for one, her old Hogwarts trunk.

"I took the liberty of emptying your trunks and putting everything away, except your trunk of course, I didn't want you hexing me so early in the morning."

"Thank you," Malfoy raised an eyebrow looking at her wonderingly, was she actually saying thank you. "Seriously, thank you, I don't think I would have had the energy to unpack anything after the week I've had." With an exasperated sigh she took a seat on the nearby couch. _Green and red décor, how ironic, _she thought bemusedly.

Taking a hesitant seat next to her Malfoy began to speak, "Listen Granger, we need to talk..." Hermione looked his way and saw his uncomfortableness, he was fidgeting with his hands and looking down at his, what had happened to the guy who couldn't keep his mouth shut and spoke without a hint of remorse. "Spit it out Malfoy." she said.

"My son, well you see, he's going to have a hard time adjusting to our living situation." He could only imagine what was going through her head, his guess was that she though his son was a spoiled brat, there was no doubt that his son was spoiled but he was not a brat in any sense.

"I'm sure he'll be just fine Malfoy, he's just a boy he'll learn to adjust in time," she hoped.

"He has a condition. Its called selective mutism." Hermione stared at him in bewilderment, she knew that kids with selective mutism rarely spoke, it wasn't a learning deficiency by all means they just chose to keep quiet in social situations.

"Does he at least speak with you when no one is around." Malfoy looked at her in astonishment, she knew what his sons condition was, then again it shouldn't of surprised him at all she was Hermione Granger after all.

"Occasionally but he chooses to speak to no one else, so please don't hold it against him when you meet him later this morning."

"I wouldn't dare. I suffered from it as well when I went to school in the muggle world." Nobody knew about her childhood condition but her parents and herself. When she had received her letter to Hogwarts she had made a vow to herself, to no reciprocate back to her old ways of immense shyness and not speaking unless spoken to.

"Hmm, never would have guessed."

She stood up and made her way towards the kitchen looking through the kitchen cabinets she noticed it was well stocked as well as the refrigerator. She suddenly felt a presence behind her, turning around quickly she bumped into Malfoy.

"Would you mind if I brought in a house elf to help us out." He hadn't noticed that he had grabbed onto her elbow when she had bumped into him until she uncomfortably removed his hand. "Sorry." he said honestly.

"I don't like having house elves help especially if they aren't being paid." she said.

"But they will be, I already pay my house elf and seeing as we'll be feeding three kids I think we'll need all the extra help we can get." She eyed him curiously debating his proposal in her head a countless number of times. After a few brief moments she had made up her mind.

"Fine, but on one condition Malfoy," she said as she pointed her finger towards his chest.

"We will not become reliant on the house elf. I expect you and myself included to cook meals on the weekends, therefore allowing the house elf to have a few days off. Understood."

"Understood." he said.

"Good. Now what does your son like for breakfast so I can get started."

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter she meets Scorpius, and he meets Hugo. I have to say I literally spent 15 minutes wondering if wizards used refrigerators, stupid I know. Also, this story is rated M, it will eventually reach that point just not now. Please review I'd really appreciate it. Also feel free to follow me on Tumblr, the link is on my profile along with a url containing a picture of what I think the flat looks like (somewhat).**


	5. Like Father, Like Son

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. I was busy with things, then my birthday came and passed, and last but not least Pottermore took over my life.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise. **

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><p>The morning dragged on slowly as Hermione prepared breakfast for everyone in the flat. Luckily everyone turned out to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes making her first morning with the two Malfoys a hell of a lot smoother, at least she hoped seeing as she hadn't met his son as of yet.<p>

"Should we wake them yet? I don't want either of the boys waking up shocked when they see each other," Hermione said calmly. Knowing Hugo he would start screaming when he noticed the extra-unknown person in his room, especially so early in the morning. _Just like his father_ she thought. She remembered the countless number of times she walked into Ron's bedroom unannounced early in the mornings, always resulting in some sort of _scream_.

"I'll wake Scorpius first if you don't mind, I think it'd be better if you two met first and then bring Rose and..." They hadn't realized that during that whole moving in fiasco that had occurred late the night before they forgot to properly introduce themselves and their kids even if Hugo and Scorpius were asleep.

"His name is Hugo. Scorpius where did you get that name from?"

"It's a constellation, I was named after one as well so I figured I'd keep the tradition going, but of course his mother had a say in the naming situation too," said Malfoy.

An odd sensation flooded through Hermione when she heard Malfoy mention Scorpius' mother. She couldn't explain such a feeling; it wasn't something she had felt before. Deciding to disregard such an odd emotion she decided to finally speak up again.

"Draco, ...it's latin for Dragon right?" she asked timidly.

"Yes"

Walking down the hall he wondered how things would work out in this abnormal arrangement. Would their kids get along? Or better yet would they ever be able to get along mutually in such living arrangements? Those were two of the most prominent questions running through his mind.

He hoped everything would run amicably. Ever since Astoria had abandoned him along with their son, Scorpius had begun having sleeping issues and speech problems. He hadn't married Astoria out of love that's for sure, it was all his father's idea, marrying a pure-blooded witch was what was most convenient at the time and it seemed like a logical idea to him when his father talked about the subject so passionately. At least he hadn't married Pansy, she would of drove him mad.

A few months after his marriage Astoria had announced that she was indeed pregnant, that was also when their marital problems truly began. Things quickly progressed downhill just three years after Scorpius' birth. She would neglect her duties as a mother always leaving their son with his mother or some random nanny she paid last minute. He soon came to find out that she was having an affair with on old school mate, Theodore Nott to be precise. In the end it was a pretty nasty divorce, ending with him paying her thousands of galleons in order to have full custody of Scorpius along with any parental rights she had over their son.

Upon entering the boys' room he noticed Scorpius was beginning to wake up, walking forward and kneeling down beside his bedside he waited until he fully awoke.

"Hey mate you're up," he said in a hushed tone as to not wake Hugo. Scorpius nodded sleepily as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I'd like you to meet someone, remember I told you we were moving in with new people?" Scorpius nodded once again. In all honesty Malfoy had hoped that today would be one of those odd days when his son chose to spoke. He lifted the boy out of bed, kissed the top of his head and headed towards the kitchen, all while making sure he made as little noise as possible. A few steps before entering the kitchen he set Scorpius down on the ground.

"Granger, there's someone I'd like you to meet," he spoke softly as he looked down at his son.

Turning around slowly Hermione took in the little boy in front of her. He sported green plaid pajamas and pale blond hair sticking out all over the place; she could clearly tell he was uncomfortable with the whole situation before him. Scorpius' head remained down as if something fascinating were occurring on the floor; his little hand gripping Draco's tightly.

Kneeling down at his eye level she put her pointer finger under his chin and lifted his head slowly.

"It's nice to meet you Scorpius, I'm Hermione were going to be living together for a little while, I hope you're okay with that," she asked. Scorpius stared at her blankly not muttering a single word all while glancing back and forth between Hermione and his father.

"I hear you like chocolate chip pancakes," she looked at him waiting for a response once again but received none, looking up at Malfoy he nodded at her to continue speaking.

"Well I sure hope you do because I made some for breakfast. You know Scorpius, you can talk to me whenever you want, I won't bite, that is if you want to of course." This time he nodded shyly as Hermione finished speaking. Standing up once again she looked at Malfoy and smiled whole-heartedly.

"He'll get there eventually, there's no need to worry most kids grow out of it with a bit of help of course." In response Malfoy smiled back genuinely, something he rarely did. "I'll go wake Rose and Hugo, so we can all eat breakfast together and be properly introduced." Walking around Malfoy she made her way toward Rose and Hugo's bedrooms.

Seeing as Hermione walked away, Malfoy took the opportunity to speak with Scorpius before the rest of the Weasley clan proceeded to join them for breakfast.

"So did you like Hermione?" he asked as he too knelt down to Scorpius' eye level. The young Malfoy boy just nodded shyly with a slight hint of a smile appearing on his face.

"That's good," he said apprehensively. "You see Scorpius we'll be sharing this flat with her and her kids, they're about to come out and join us for breakfast." Upon hearing the word _kids_ Scorpius' body went rigid as if somebody had petrified him on the spot with a mere word. "They're nice kids, I'd like you to get along with them. You see they just lost their dad and aren't doing very well."

"Lost?" asked Scorpius in a barely audible tone but loud enough to be heard to anyone standing before him, surprising Malfoy instantly.

"Their dad isn't coming back." He knew that there must have been a better way to explain death to a kid but he wasn't prepared enough to handle that talk well in the current moment. Hell he wasn't even prepared when he had to explain that Astoria was never coming back into his life. That was one talk that had left Scorpius in tears for hours beyond hours.

"Like mummy?" Malfoy closed his eyes sadly trying to figure out how to dig himself out of the shit hole he had just created.

To Malfoys relief Hermione walked into the kitchen with Hugo and Rose in tow. Taking in their bedraggled appearance he concluded that the Weasley kids weren't much of morning people. As he took in a closer look at Hugo he realized how closely he resembled Ron; the hair, eyes and everything down to the last freckles upon the boys face were the exact embodiment of the older Weasley.

He'd never truly hated the Weasley family; it was always just jealousy with him. He envied the fact that despite their financial struggles the Weasley family always seemed cheerful and content with what they had, all because they had each other for support. _Something he never had with his family._

He always had the best clothing, toys and broomsticks growing up, but that meant nothing to him. All he wanted was the attention from his mother and father. He would always strive to gain their attention, but it never worked. After the war his relationship with his mother had changed drastically but things with his father ceased to change.

"Malfoy..." Hermione spoke as she waved a hand across his face bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, right." Kneeling down once again he stretched out his hand and offered it to Hugo. "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy."

Hugo stared at his outstretched hand angrily as if he knew his past. He hoped he didn't. If he knew anything about his youth in Hogwarts, then he knew things would take a while before anything was settled with this living arrangement.

"I know who you are. Dad showed me a picture of you."

Malfoy had assumed that the Weasley boy would share the same amount of intelligence as his father but was proven wrong the moment he had opened his mouth. Sure he looked like a Weasley, but his brains were all Grangers. He reminded him of her at Hogwarts, _a know it all_.

"Well well well Granger, I had no idea your husband fancied me so much, hell he even owned a photograph of me." He said in his usual tone. Staring down at him angrily she kneeled down beside him.

"Hugo be nice, Malfoy here is going to take care of us for a little while. He's an auror just like daddy was."

"I don't care!" Yelled the young boy angrily; his face had become as red as a tomato out of his pure anger. His sudden outburst caused Rose and Scorpius to flinch.

"Daddy told me about you. He said you called mummy horrible names! So I don't like you, Uncle Harry can take care of me, mummy and Rose!" Curse the day Ron had gotten an old Hogwarts yearbook and shown their son everybody he disliked and liked, Hermione was expecting this reunion to go better than how it was in that moment but fate wanted to make her life a living torture. Seeing her son flustered and angry proved that this move wasn't going to be easy as long as Malfoy was under their roof.

Surprisingly Malfoy had kept his temper, she had honestly expected much worse from him but so far he just kept surprising her, especially with his uncanny kindness with her kids and especially his son.

"Well mate, your dad didn't lie. I did call your mum some awful names when were younger, but I'm all grown up now and haven't called her any names in a while. Isn't that right Granger?" he asked her.

"That's right." She couldn't think of much to say to her dismay and the look on Hugo's faced all but screamed that he wasn't buying a single word Malfoy was saying.

"He seems nice to me." Spoke Rose loudly as she walked up to her younger brother. "He said we could decorate our rooms, didn't you Mr. Malfoy?" Looking up at him excitedly, Rose jumped up and down in excitement; he on the other hand was repulsed by the idea of being called Mr. Malfoy. That was a title that belonged to his father and only him, being called mister at the age of twenty-five just seemed off balance to him.

"That's right," he said with a smug smirk. "But you'll have to share your room with my son Scorpius." Pulling his son forward, he looked at Hugo.

"Rose, Hugo, this is Scorpius my son, I hope you can welcome him in, he doesn't talk much." Hugo looked at Scorpius wearily, it seemed like he was warming up to the idea of living with others, well at least Scorpius. His opinion towards Malfoy was yet to be seen and dealt with.

"Do you like quidditch?" Hugo asked Scorpius. Scorpius only nodded yes in response.

"The Chudley Cannons are great! Aren't they, Scorp- umm, Scorpiuuuus?" Scorpius just made a disgusted face and shook his head as to say no.

"You really don't talk much." The two boys stared at each other apprehensively. "Well your name is weird, I'll just call you Scorp."

Hermione laughed at their interaction and stood to serve breakfast but before anything else could happen Hugo turned towards Malfoy. "He's okay. I still don't like you." With those words said Malfoy stayed glued to his spot in contemplation as to how to win the boy over.

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter should be up soon. Review Please.**


	6. Arguments and Death

It had been three weeks since they had all moved in, all it took was three bloody weeks for Hermione and Draco to realize that things would take a while before everything settled down into a peaceful conclusion.

For one Hugo and Scorpius weren't getting along as they had first expected; the speech issues were to blame on that part. Hugo being used to the constant conversations with his cousins didn't like his one-ended conversations with Scorpius. They'd also constantly get into physical altercations when either of them didn't want to share a toy, and not only did they clash when it came to their toys but they were both stubborn. Two stubborn boys under one roof were a force to be reckoned with.

Rose on the other hand was adjusting quite well to everything, _at first_, though you'd rarely catch her staring out the kitchen window crying silently and never once did she ask to be coddled, but Hermione made sure she was always by her side when her daughter had days like that. In those three weeks Malfoy had grown fond of the young Weasley girl, not only did she know how to handle her brothers tantrums well but she never showed how hurt she was by losing her father.

Hugo on the other hand sometimes lashed out at anything in his path, sometimes both he and Hermione were forced to wake in the middle of night when he had nightmares. He didn't deny that it bothered him to a certain extent; he was even caught once snickering behind Hermione's back a few times causing her to lash out at him in return for not being considerate enough. He'd never said anything about being bothered by Hugos late night screams since then, not once, but his facial expressions hid no emotion from Hermione.

Scorpius had made no improvement in terms of his speech. Hermione had tried her best to encourage him to speak but so far every attempt she had tried with Scorpius had failed quite miserably. Though he wasn't speaking Malfoy could tell that his son was growing rather attached to Hermione, hell he'd even drawn her a picture on some spare piece of parchment. Malfoy was aware that his son longed for a motherly figure he just wasn't sure Granger would be the adequate choice. Her parenting skills were great no doubt about it but her parenting skills weren't what he was afraid of, or better yet drastically worried about; he was afraid of her having to leave this flat and never seeing Hermione again making his son feel rejected by someone he considered a mother once again.

Hermione on the other hand wasn't handling everything very well at all, sure she smiled and tried to laugh with the kids when they were in her presence but once she retired to the comfort of her room she became a broken hearted mess. It had been almost a month since he'd passed away, one month without her husband, best friend, confidant, and lover. How she managed to remain strong in front of Hugo when he had his lashes she didn't know, maybe it was the fact that he reminded her so much of him, his temper, appearance, judgment, everything. Keeping her walls up in front of Rose was harder nonetheless, being a year older than Hugo made a huge difference, despite still being young she understood everything going on around her surroundings. She knew that they weren't safe until they caught whoever had killed Ron, how she managed to bottle in so many feelings she didn't know, they were the same in that sense, Hermione and Rose. But despite Rose's attempts at trying to be brave in front of her and Hugo she'd gotten caught by Malfoy a few times silently crying by the windowsill in the kitchen. Seeing her so broken and silent broke Hermione, she consoled her every time Malfoy caught her but she still didn't utter a single word. The last time she'd really spoken out about everything was at the funeral. Everything was pure hell around the flat to say the least.

The kids weren't the only ones having a hard time adjusting to the situation. Malfoy and Hermione were constantly bickering about the slightest things, once they'd almost hexed each other because they hadn't agreed on a meal to cook on a weekend. They would bicker about the house elves as well, she felt like they weren't being given and adequate amount of time off and that they weren't there to help with household chores but just the cooking. Upon Malfoy's constant nagging she had finally caved and allowed the house elves to help clean around the flat to her dismay.

As for the time being they were expecting another visit from Harry and Kingsley that afternoon. In those three weeks they hadn't been updated on the case, which left Malfoy in an angry mood each friday he didn't receive a file updating him. Today they would find out exactly why they hadn't been informed of anything and kept in the dark from what was going on in the rest of wizarding world.

"When exactly are they going to be here?" asked Malfoy angrily.

"I've told you already they didn't set a time, they just said sometime late this afternoon."

Staring out the kitchen window he let out a disgusted grunt.

"You know maybe if you did something other than mope and stand alone silently brooding you would actually enjoy your days more or at least make them bearable."

"Enlighten me Granger, what exactly should I be cheerful about," he turned around to face her his face only a few mere inches away from her face. "Tell me!" he yelled.

Hermione didn't flinch as he came closer and closer, his face was red with anger but she managed to keep control of her anger unlike him. "I don't know maybe the fact the nobody you love has been killed," she walked towards him to the point where their noses almost touched. Anger was in the air, they both knew this argument would end badly like most of the arguments they had had over the past few weeks. " I could name a few things Malfoy, I just choose not to bring up the past," she said pointedly.

In the moment they both broke apart hurriedly at the sound of people coming through the floo connection. Despite moving a few feet away from each other they both remained standing angrily in the kitchen waiting for their _guests _to make their presence known.

"I see things aren't going so well," said Harry as he walked towards Hermione and pulled her in for a quick hug.

"What did you bloody expect Potter? A gigantic breakthrough in our facade of a sudden friendship, if you can call what this is friendship."

"I never said this was an arrangement of friendship _Malfoy_," spat Harry angrily.

"Well you two sure make it seem that way. You basically have us locked up in here against our will and don't let us have contact with anybody, oh and not to mention that fact that we can't even leave here without requesting permission from the ministry."

"It is all done for your safety, along with everybody else's, I assure you Mr. Malfoy," said Kingsley as he entered the room at last.

"Could of fooled me, you're messing with my sanity here. You don't expect me to actually talk with Granger like a civilized human being do you?"

"I suggest you calm down Mr. Malfoy we have a lot to talk about," Kingsley looked more tired than usual, even Harry looked more fatigued than usual after a long day on duty. Each of them wore dark circles under their eyes and a mask of worriment was etched all over their faces.

"Would you two care for some tea while we take this conversation to the sitting room?" asked Hermione as she looked at Malfoy.

"Thank you, I'd really appreciate that,"said Kingsley.

"Same Hermione, I haven't had much to eat today," she stared at Harry in confusion, _what could possibly be going on_? "Lots of things have been going on, thats my excuse for not apparating to see the lot of you regularly." Malfoy turned towards Harry as if itching to hear more on the current situation outside of the flat but didn't get a single word said to him about the case from neither Kingsley nor Potter.

"Well go on, I'll be right out," said Hermione. Harry and Kingsley walked out of the room. Hermione looked at Malfoy who had a face of concern etched on his face, something she rarely got see as he never showed any emotions unless it concerned Scorpius and sometimes Rose and Hugo, albeit rarely. "Tea?" she asked Malfoy who in turn just nodded yes before joining Kingsley and Harry.

Sitting down on the opposite couch that Kingsley and Harry were seated on Malfoy patiently waited for Hermione to come back, though Hermione and him weren't very friendly he'd rather converse with her present in the room, especially with the anger he had within him at that moment. Malfoy usually didn't let small things get to him but as of lately any microscopic action from anyone in the flat annoyed him to bits; he hadn't felt this out of control over his emotions since the end of the war.

"So, Mr. Malfoy...how is the situation with the children?," asked Kingsley.

"Not great," Luckily Hermione chose that precise moment to make her presence shown before anymore-awkward conversations could be started. As she handed everyone their tea she gave Malfoy an awkward glance and took a seat beside him all while fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Well get on with it then, you've kept us waiting long enough haven't you?" spoke Malfoy.

"Very well then. There have been two more attacks," said Kingsley.

"Two?," asked Hermione. "But thats just mad. Cases like this only occurred once every couple of months not just in a couple weeks lapse." She said. Her anger was surely visible among everyone in the room. "Next thing we know this deatheater will be on rampage."

"Yes we are aware of that," said Kingsley sharing the same look Hermione wore.

"There's a difference though, all the case that we've had as of yet... cases previous to Ron's, never led t—..." Harry fidgeted as he figured out how to phrase such a complicated situation carefully. "Led to death or insanity when the cruciatus curse was used."

"Was someone else killed Potter?" Harry looked at Malfoy and reluctantly nodded when he noticed that Hermione was eagerly awaiting an answer as well.

"Yes, and it was someone we knew Hermione..." Hermione looked at Harry expectantly as if urging him to continue but no words came to him it was too much to handle is such a short span of time; he'd lost his best friend and now he'd lost another friend.

"Maybe it isn't the right time to reveal names yet Harry." said Kingsley.

"No I want to know!" yelled Hermione as she stood up defiantly. "You owe me that much Harry! You've left me here with this git for the past 3 weeks, I didn't even receive one letter, or a bloody floo call..." her yelling finally ceased as she approached Harry's side. "You owe me that much Harry."

"Dennis Creevey...and Justin Finch-Fletchley." he spoke quietly.

"They're both muggle-borns..." said Hermione.

"Why would they kill Weasley then, he's a pureblood." said Malfoy.

"You really can be daft sometimes Malfoy," Hermione stared at him angrily as she continued speaking. "Don't you see what's right in front of your face? I'm muggle-born, he was married to me, I'm the reason he's dead."

"That's not true," began Kingsley but was hastily cut off by Hermione.

"You know damn well it's true!" she said beseechingly. "Why else would they kill him?"

"Hermione we were conducting a raid," said Harry. "There could have been a large amount of factors as to why he was killed, I'm pretty sure he didn't have Ron as his sole target, it could have been me dead instead of him for all we know."

"It's not all about you Harry!," she yelled angrily. Everything she had bottled in within herself seemed to be pouring out of her; she was frustrated that they had kept such news away from her for weeks, angry that he'd been the last person to see Ron alive. Every emotion seemed to just be coming out on someone she truly didn't mean to hurt. Kingsley looked surprised at her sudden accusation, Malfoy looked at her with surprise, and Harry, Harry just sat there unable to talk.

"I think I'll just be going now—," Harry began.

"Harry... I'm sorry it's just been a lot on me," Her eye's were now sparkling with fresh tears as she saw Harry's hurt expression. "You know I don't mean it."

Malfoy sat bolt upright, listening to the words being said intently. He never thought it would be possible for him to witness Harry Potter and Hermione Granger on the verge of a heated argument.

"I know you don't mean any of it Hermione—," he began rather uncomfortably. "I think I should just leave before you regret anything you say." She looked at him sadly resigning to the idea of him leaving so quickly after they hadn't seen each other for weeks. Harry stood up making his way to the floo. "You'll come back soon won't you?" she asked helplessly.

"Of course, you know I will." he said as he disappeared from their sight.

"I suppose we won't be hearing any new information will we?" said Malfoy angrily as he glared at Hermione, causing her to wince at the venom in his words.

"Potter may not be here but I know as much as he does." said Kingsley. " Justin was attacked exactly a week after Ron, he was not killed but the effects of the cruciatus curse caused irreparable damage, we have him institutionalized at St. Mungos for the time being, his family wants him put in a muggle psychiatric ward though—."

"And Dennis?" asked Hermione.

"Dennis—" began Kingsley. "The other Creevey boy is _dead_ as well, I'm sorry."

"Have you caught him yet, had any traces, anonymous letters anything?" asked Malfoy hurriedly.

"None whatsoever," said Kingsley. "We've tried tracking him but our efforts have proved worthless, the ministry has not recived any letters with threats, right now were just tracking any possible suspect, anyone who might have been involved with Voldemort and the darks arts during the war."

"So what do we do now?" asked Hermione.

"The ministry is doing everything possible now, but as for you two you'll just have to wait for a while until everything gets situated, these attacks aren't just coincidence I have a feeling they're after Hermione and Harry." said Kingsley.

"I'd like to propose a change to these living arrangements seeing as we'll be here a while then." began Malfoy. "Hermione here is allowed one of her friends to visit, that friend being Potter. I believe she should be allowed to have one more visitor since Potter seems to be busy."

"I think I can do that—"

"I'm not done yet," he began. "If Granger is allowed visitors I believe I should be allowed visitors as well."

"I'll have to have the ministry run background checks but I think its possible, who do you want to be let through?" asked Kingsley as he regarded Hermione.

"I think I'd like Luna Lovegood to be one of my visitors." she said.

"And you Mr. Malfoy?"

"My mother and Pansy Parkinson."

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><p><strong>AN:**

**Okay, first and foremost thank you for all the lovely reviews last chapter. Second, I think I will be updating once a week from now on usually on Fridays so look for an update by Friday or Saturday at the latest. Third, What do you think about Hermione changing her last name back to Granger so soon after Ron's death? And last but not least I would really appreciate at least 5 reviews before the next update. Thank you. **


	7. Late Night Conversations

**Chapter 7: Late Night Conversations**

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><p>It was nearly midnight when Kingsley left that night after discussing with them for a few extra minutes. It was then decided that the wards would be altered as soon as the Ministry went through the process of approving everything. It was also decided that Malfoy would get a file every Friday without a doubt no matter the circumstances but would be forced to share every single bit of the information he received with Hermione<p>

Hermione still wore a look of worriment and confusion as Kingsley left, Malfoy on the other hand looked much calmer in comparison to his attitude earlier that afternoon. The gnawing feeling that Harry wouldn't talk to her after their argument had left her distraught but to an outsider it would appear that she was just fine, how wrong they were. Harry was the only person she believed knew how she was feeling throughout everything, and now she couldn't bear to think that the one person who knew at least a fragment of her pain had left so rapidly after a few words, words that were hurtful nonetheless. But he'd said worse things to her while growing up, especially during fifth year, she just hoped he could understand where her thoughts were coming from and that he would at least consider writing her soon.

"Granger, are you alright?" asked Malfoy noticing that she stood stoically in the same place he had left her when he'd gone to check on the kids, who were all fast asleep. "Granger," He spoke again, still not receiving a response, not even a change in composure. Deciding to approach her at last he made his way in front of Hermione calling out her name _again,_ finally breaking her out of her reverie.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked as she finally took notice of him.

"I was just asking if you were alright," he began. "You looked like you were on a verge of a panic attack just then."

"It's been a long day Malfoy, I think I'll just call it a night," she said as she rounded the corner towards her bedroom leaving a concerned Malfoy behind.

Upon entering her room she took in the blank walls that still adorned her room; she hadn't had the energy to do any kind of decorating, or more precisely she didn't want to adorn her room with memories of Ron and herself. Her head felt strangely heavy as she thought about everything going on around her; dealing with Ron's death, trying to console her kids, handling Malfoy's ungrateful attitude the last couple of days. It was slowly but surely overwhelming her, it was only a matter of time before Malfoy looked through her facade.

Realizing that she was still wearing the day's clothes she went to change into a pair of red plaid flannel pajamas and a simple gray jumper that had previously belonged to Ron, therefore fitting her rather loosely and engulfing her. Her eyes scanned the mirror in front of her; the dark circles under her eyes had grown more prominent over the last three weeks due to her lack of sleep. She couldn't blame Hugo for her sleep deprivation. She just found it hard to sleep regardless of his night terrors.

At last, her feet found the will to move, taking a few steps towards the couch in front of the fireplace she sat herself down listening to idle crackling of the fire before her. Sensing her presence, Crookshanks curled himself around her legs, purring loudly as she scratched him behind his ears.

"You miss him too don't you Crookshanks." she said, her eyes still staring distantly into the fire.

She hadn't realized how long she'd sat there in the same position but as her eyes scanned the clock overhead she discovered that she'd manage to spend a good two hours staring at a fire.

Another noise coming from outside her bedroom caused her to stand up abruptly, her feet trembling as she approached the door. Standing before the door she could hear the faint shuffling of feet, then the sound of pacing footsteps slowly became louder and louder as they walked back and forth before her door. The steps sounded to loud to be any of the kids. It could only be him.

"Malfoy?" asked Hermione quietly as she opened her door. Sure enough there he stood his hand a few mere inches from her face as if debating whether to knock or not.

His face flushed a pink hue for only a few brief moments as the realization of being discovered caught him off guard. His hair was sporadically sticking out in random places, so unlike his usual precise and composed self.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No..." he hesitated before speaking once again. "I just... I've been acting like a complete git the last few days."

"Is this your form of an apology, Malfoy, because if —" she began but was abruptly cut off.

"I'm not a man of many words. Coming here was hard enough," he said, as Hermione stared at him tentatively.

At a loss for words Hermione stood there without muttering a single word. Noticing her stillness he took that as cue to go. Upon seeing him leave she broke out of her standstill stance.

"No, stay!" she said rather bluntly and loudly. " I mean thank you..." She hadn't known what had come over her as the words _stay _escaped past her lips; she just knew that she'd meant it. It could have been the lack of proper communication with someone her age or the need of a friend at the current moment. "Malfoy," she began again as he turned around again and stared at her perplexed at her words. "I mean it stay for a while. I just I can't sleep and Crookshanks isn't much of a conversationist."

"As I said before Granger, I'm not a man of many words. I don't know how I'd be much of a differe—"

"I don't know. I don't mind you just listening. You're bound to say something, I know you better than you think."

He hadn't known what had come over him as he took those few long strides into her bedroom. He just hoped he'd made the right decision. Taking the room in he realized she hadn't done anything to the room other than the red bedding that now seemed to be the only vibrant color in the entire room excluding the fire. He expected to find her room filled with pictures and random scattered books here and there but found nothing to be out of place, almost as if nobody inhabited it at all.

"You can sit on the couch if you'd like." she said as she waved her hand towards a corner of the room where the couch resided as well as a fireplace.

Taking another few strides towards the couch he sat himself down. Hermione immediately followed but unlike him, she took a seat on the floor in front of the fire.

"This reminds me of the Gryffindor common room. The fire burning all night, Ron and I would spend loads of nights in front of it, finishing up his essays." she spoke quietly. "What was the Slytherin common room like?"

"It was in the dungeons, it was always cold even if the fire was on. We'd have to put extra warming charms every time winter approached. The common room was rather dark as well, as much as I loved the color green it didn't make you feel warm." It stayed silent for a few minutes the only sound to be heard was the ticking of the clock above and the crackling of the fire.

"When was the first time I met you Malfoy?" she asked.

"The train I believe," he said "Correct me if I'm wrong."

"That's right," she said. "You were sitting on the ground with Crabbe and Goyle right outside of Harry and Ron's train compartment."

"Yes. It was also the moment I thought you could be one of us," he began but shut up the moment Hermione turned around to meet his eyes.

"What do you mean by one of us?" she asked.

"Did Potter ever mention that I'd offered him my friendship?"

"Might of mentioned it once or twice, but that doesn't answer my question."

"As you said before I was sitting right outside. I saw how you fixed his glasses, I knew in that moment that'd you'd be a powerful witch."

"What changed?"

"Apparently I'd missed a crucial part of what you were saying," said Malfoy. "Goyle made sure I'd heard, once I mentioned you'd be welcome in our group. I didn't hear that you came from non magical folk," he said this time taking his eyes away from her stare and directing them towards the fire with an angry glare in his eyes.

"Sad isn't it? How so much prejudice was injected into you at such a young age?" He didn't respond to her words knowing all too well that her words spoke the truth. He'd been taught to hate her kind the moment he was able to comprehend. By the time he reached Hogwarts he hadn't known any better, it was a part of who he was.

"I don't want my kids to grow up knowing about such hate but it's bound to happen. It may not happen anytime soon but once they arrive at Hogwarts, they'll know. _Voldemort_ might be gone but his hate still resides in many among us, and I'm sure they'll teach their kids to act the same way. They'll act the way you did" she said. "You called me a _mudblood _second year, you hoped I'd get killed during the basilisk atta—"

"I've changed since then _Hermione_ I am not that immature twelve year old boy anymore. I'm not that immature sixteen year old boy either."

"How do I know you've changed?" she asked. "How do I know that you're not faking in order to get on the ministry's good side?"

"I wouldn't be sitting here with you if I hadn't changed."

Thing's remained silent for few minutes once again as Hermione took in his words. She truly believed he'd changed but that didn't stop her from doubting his words. Everything was too good to be true these days.

"Scorpius has taken a liking to you." said Malfoy hesitantly.

"I've noticed," she said. "His speech is bound to improve now that his mother will be visiting more often."

"His mother?" asked Malfoy staring at back at her, the look of bewilderment upon his face.

"Isn't Parkinson one of the persons you let through the wards?"

"Yes, it is," he said. "But Pansy isn't Scorpius' mother."

Becoming rather uncomfortable with her sitting position by the fire she stood to take a seat on the opposite side of the couch. Noticing this, Malfoy tried to scoot himself closer to his side of the couch, clearly making his distressed mood noticeable to Hermione. Nevertheless, she wouldn't end the nights conversation just because he seemed uncomfortable; it was the first time they'd had such a long civilized conversation and she sure as hell didn't plan on ending it so soon, she liked talking to him she came to find.

"Then who is?" she asked. "I'd always assumed it was Parkinson, you two seemed rather close when we were at Hogwarts."

"Do you not read _Witch Weekly _or the _Daily Prophet_, Granger?" asked Malfoy, a bemused expression showing on his face.

"I'm not much for gossip, and I haven't read the _Daily Prophet_ much since the war ended."

"Well if you must know, I married Astoria Greengrass. Not a wise choice I might add." The look on her face told him she wanted to know more so he decided to tell her what had happened exactly. A select few knew what had truly happened, those people included his mother, father, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and now added to the list would be the one and only Hermione Granger, _Weasley, _he reminded himself. "Our families believed that uniting us would expand the family businesses and not to mention keep at least some of our pure-blood customs alive." he said grimly. "I didn't care about any of that, I wanted my father to approve of me but by the time I had reached about a month in marriage I'd realized I was wrong about wanting his approval, I should of learned my lesson the moment he was imprisoned in Azkaban, but I didn't. Soon Scorpius came along, she neglected him; I didn't mind her not paying any attention to me but that was her son as well as mine I would of hoped she would show him some kindness, but I was wrong then too." Hermione continued to hang onto his every word as he continued speaking. "Around the time Scorpius turned three I found out she was cheating, that was the last straw. I quickly filed for divorce and gained full custody of Scorpius. I had never been happier in my life."

"At least you're out of a miserable marriage now, right?"

"Yeah I guess you could say that," said Malfoy.

"So I'm assuming you remained close to Pansy Parkinson over the years."

"No, not really by the time we were in seventh year she'd become a complete nightmare, and things remained the same a year after that," he began. "When Scorpius turned one, she began showing up to the Manor to have tea with mother, she'd matured greatly since then. If you talked to her today you'd see she's a completely different person nothing like the Pansy Parkinson from Hogwarts. Sure she still makes her opinions known rather bluntly but that's in her nature."

"I'm looking forward to judging that for myself." The night continued the same way through small talk and quiet moments.

The next morning she awoke strangely relaxed for the first time in weeks, looking at the clock above her she noticed she'd finally achieved a good six hours of sleep. Clamping her eyes shut once again, she raised herself on her elbows, taking in her current surroundings. Sure enough Draco Malfoy still remained on his side of the couch consumed in a world of dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: Well I got more than 5 reviews last chapter, I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story so far. As for not updating Friday I have a legitimate excuse, my Internet has been going out for the past weeks and it decided to go down the moment I finished the chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapters leave your critiques in a review, I ask for the same amount as last time. Thank you once again.**


	8. Realization

**Chapter 8: Realization**

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><p>The next morning she awoke strangely relaxed for the first time in weeks, looking at the clock above her she noticed she'd finally achieved a good six hours of sleep. Clamping her eyes shut once again, she raised herself on her elbows, taking in her current surroundings. Sure enough Draco Malfoy still remained on his side of the couch consumed in a world of dreamless sleep.<p>

Hermione stood up abruptly as she realized she'd fallen asleep near Draco Malfoy, their legs had somehow become intertwined throughout the course of the night causing her to wake Malfoy in the process. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the situation before her… nothing had happened, they'd just fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation, which she had enjoyed greatly to her dismay.

"Granger," he spoke groggily as his eyes widened in realization to waking up next to Granger.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you I… I— "she stuttered.

"Its fine, I'll just go back to my room and wake Scorpius so we can have breakfast." He said quickly, already halfway out the room.

"Okay," she managed to croak out before the door suddenly slammed close, the harsh slam causing her to flinch suddenly.

He returned to his room quickly trying to decipher everything that had gone on the night before. He'd spent the majority of the night talking with Hermione, opening up to her something he rarely did, only Pansy and his mother knew that side of him. Telling her about his days in the Slytherin dungeons, playing pranks on Ms. Norris. He hadn't realized how carefree he was during his first couple of years at Hogwarts; sure he didn't have a friendship like Granger, Weasley, or Potters but Crabbe and Goyle's stupidity kept him widely entertained.

He was in a state of shock, half of him wanted to tell her he'd enjoyed her company but the other half was telling him that it was wrong. Her blood wasn't the problem; it went far deeper than that he just couldn't put a word to what he was feeling towards her, could he really be considering her as a good friend better yet could she reciprocate that friendship.

Meanwhile Hermione stood in her room her thoughts only wondering about a certain blond next door. After her fight with Harry she'd needed someone to talk to desperately, Malfoy had been that person last night. The moment she had invited him inside her bedroom she'd regretted it. What could she possibly gain from his company, another sarcastic remark, silence, insults; those were the results she was expecting from her moment of stupidity. That was what she was prepared to handle, she hadn't expected him to answer her questions as sincerely as he had.

Running her hands through her hair she gave an exasperated scream as she stomped her way towards the bathroom. She quickly threw off Ron's jumper along with the rest of her clothing all while running a bath quickly, all in hopes of forgetting how well she'd gotten along with Malfoy. Her mind kept dragging her back to the conversation she'd had with him about Astoria. What kind of mother would neglect their own flesh and blood, she wouldn't be able to live a day without Rose and Hugo. No wonder Scorpius had problems. She lay there for another few minutes replaying each of their conversations but only one remained as clear as ever, he'd wanted _her_ to be a part of his group. Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, friends during their years at Hogwarts, she couldn't help but wonder what it could have been like.

After finally sorting throughout all his thoughts Malfoy finally managed to come to a conclusion with his feelings. He would continue acting the same way he had since the day arrived with an exemption of the last few days and pursue Hermione's friendship. With a smirk on his face he swaggered towards Scorpius and Hugo's bedroom ready to wake the boys for breakfast. His smirk instantly dropped the moment he entered the boy's bedroom.

Hugo stood by Scorpius' bedside pulling at his pajamas tears running down his face. "He's dead to Mr. Malfoy! He's not moving!," screamed Hugo loudly.

Malfoy ran towards Scorpius and Hugo's side kneeling down beside the bed gently pulling Hugo aside only to be engulfed in a tight embrace by Hugo who was by now crying in the crook of his neck. Sure enough as he took in his sons' appearance he appeared to gravely ill. His hair and pajamas were matted with sweat, his complexion uncommonly paler than usual and as he put a hand to his forehead his worriment grew even graver his forehead was blazing hot, this was not a normal child's temperature even for someone with wizard flu.

"What's wrong? I heard screaming," Said Hermione as she rushed into the bedroom. She rushed to Malfoy and Hugo's side. She took Hugo from Malfoys arm as she saw how desperately he was trying to reach towards Scorpius.

"Malfoy, what's wrong him?" she asked.

"How would I bloody know!" He yelled as he took Scorpius in his arms desperately trying to wake him, he pointed his wand towards his just muttering an uncanny amount of spells, she hadn't heard a great deal of them to her surprise. "Damn it!" he yelled when he didn't manage to wake him tears running down his face.

"He needs a healer Malfoy," she began. "I think it's a bad case of the flu, Rose was like this a few months ago, she was fine after a couple doses of a potion but I don't have the ingredients to brew it here." She said frantically while trying to calm Hugo down.

"Tell me Granger how do you expect me to get a healer let alone get him to St. Mungo's while were locked up in here? "

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><p><strong>AN: **

**I have a perfect excuse for not updating in two months. College started once again and I've been bombarded with design projects so excuse the extremely short update and the long wait. I'll try to update as soon as I can promise. Once again excuse the grammar; I am an Art Major after all. Don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter/story. **


	9. Seeing

**Chapter 9: Seeing**

**AN: Sorry for the massive delay, college, writers block and work are all to blame.**

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><p>"The house-elf Draco," She spoke quietly seeing how distressed Malfoy had become. He looked at her with worriment etched on his face as he turned his head back toward Scorpius. She'd never seen anyone look so destroyed and confused.<p>

"Binky!" they yelled out in unison. Within a few seconds they heard a sudden pop and the house-elf appeared before them.

"Master Malfoy is there anything Binky can help with?" spoke the house-elf timidly. Malfoy remained silent, gripping onto Scorpius as the house elf stared at the scene before him looking flustered.

"Binky, please apparate to Harry Potter at number 12 Grimmauld Place and bring him here _immediately_ tell him we have an emergency…tell him to owl St. Mungo's informing them that we will be arriving shortly with a patient." With another pop in the air the house-elf suddenly vanished before her eyes.

"Is Scorp not coming back like daddy, mum?" asked Hugo, sobbing into Hermione's shoulder. She looked down at her son at a loss for words when Draco turned to face them.

"Hugo, look at me," he spoke tenderly. With reluctance Hugo turned to face him; his little face, blotchy with tearstains on his face. "I promise you that Scorpius will be alright, okay? I promise he's not going anywhere anytime soon." He spoke with fierceness in his voice, determination, as if trying to convince himself. One moment she was worried about her sudden split second of understanding with Malfoy, and now all she cared about was the little boy on his bed breathing shallowly.

For a brief moment, she was able to see Malfoy's vulnerability; he had let his guard down. The impenetrable mask of indifference that he usually displayed for the world to see, was finally off. His son was his weakness, as Rose and Hugo were hers. "Draco, he'll be here soon everything will be alright," she reassured him as she placed her hand upon his trying to soothe his pain and worriment.

He looked down puzzlingly as he felt her hand resting on top of his. He couldn't explain the feeling, but her words seemed to reassure him. _'Scorpius is going to be alright', _he chanted in his head. What seemed like hours passed, but were only a few minutes when Harry suddenly apparated into the room.

"What's going on? The house-elf, he said to owl St. Mungos, who's hurt?" he spoke rapidly; his hair was messier than usual and he was still wearing pajamas.

"Scorpius, he's ill, he's not reacting to anything! We _have_ to get him to St. Mungo's quickly!" she said rapidly.

"You can get us out of here, can't you Potter?" Malfoy asked angrily as he stood eye to eye with Harry.

"Kingsley and I have an emergency portkey just in case anything like this happened, it should go off in two minutes time. Are you ready?" asked Harry.

"Of _course_ I am you bloody fool!" yelled Malfoy as he picked Scorpius up off the bed and walked over towards Harry once more.

"Why is everyone yelling?" asked Rose who was standing by the door still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Everything happened so quickly in that moment, one minute Hermione was running towards Rose, dragging her towards Harry and Draco. Then the next they were in front of a red bricked building somewhere in muggle London. The oh so familiar Purge and Dowse Ltd sign seemed daunting to her; the last time she'd been here was to see Ron's body.

"Harry Potter, I owled about a patient not so long ago." Within a few seconds the dummy he'd spoken to beckoned them forward and were allowed to step through the vanishing glass.

As soon as they got through, a witch in lime-green robes met them with a gurney. Draco didn't bother with an introduction as he set Scorpius down on the gurney and quickly explained that he was running a high fever and wouldn't respond to anyone or any spells.

"Very well," began the healer. "Only one person is allowed in the room with him at the moment, once everything's been dealt with you may come to his room but for now the lot of you can wait in the Visiting area on the fifth floor." As the healer began to wheel Scorpius towards the Magical Bugs area, Hermione latched onto Malfoys arm. "Everything is going to be alright, you'll see," she smiled weakly as Draco gave a small nod and followed the healer.

Two hours had passed since they'd arrived at St. Mungos and they had yet to receive any news. Rose and Hugo were still a bit shaken up, but were now in the play area trying to have fun.

"What do you think happened to him?" asked Harry.

"I honestly don't know, Rose got sick like this before but she woke up as soon as they gave her an antidote… it shouldn't be taking this long…" said Hermione with a sigh "I just don't understand, he was perfectly fine the night before. At least… he seemed alright."

"He didn't mention that he felt sick?"

Hermione smiled at his question "You really don't know much about Malfoy, do you Harry?" Harry looked at her oddly as he saw her smile. "Scorpius has selective mutism, we've been living together for about a month and he has yet to utter a word. Only Malfoy can talk to him but even then it's a rare occasion."

"Kid has issues, wouldn't be surprised," he began. "After all Malfoy is the father."

Hermione sent a glare in his direction "Trust me Malfoy is not to blame this time. Believe it or not Draco's a great father, at least from what I've seen; he even tries to be fatherly with Rose and Hugo. He's changed."

"I know he has he wouldn't be allowed past the ministry entrance if that weren't the case. It still doesn't erase the past Hermione…"

"That doesn't mean the past cannot be forgiven, everyone deserves a second chance." She said quietly as Rose and Hugo approached.

"Mum, can we buy Scorp something? When you buy me things when I get sick it makes me happy." said Hugo brightly.

"Of course we can sweetheart," she smiled down at him, placing him on her lap.

"Right now?" he asked.

"Yes, go ahead and pick something out with your sister. Uncle Harry and I will be right over," Hermione had barely finished her sentence when Hugo ran across the room dragging Rose into the gift shop.

"He reminds me so much of him, Hermione," said Harry quietly as he stared at Hugo from afar his eyes glassing over. "He's like a replica, the ginger hair, the eyes, the freckles and his obsession with sweets and the chudley cannons," he with a sad smile.

"Sometimes it's hard for me to even look at him, but then I remember that I'm lucky to even have a reminder of him. They're both my _reasons_ for getting up each day," said Hermione her gaze also fixated on Hugo. "I may appear strong on the outside Harry but you don't know how hard it has been… somedays I can barely eat, somedays I can't manage a wink of sleep…Hugo has nightmares. Each day has been a struggle but I manage," a tear ran down her face as she finished.

"I know you better than anyone else Hermione, you're my best friend…I see behind that wall you've put up," he said knowingly. "You'll always have me, we can talk you know. The argument we had before…let's just pretend it never happened, okay." They said nothing for a few minutes just sitting by each other in a comfortable silence. They never were any good at opening up to each other, especially herself.

"Well let's go help those two out before they break something," he said, his voice sounding falsely cheery; his face displayed a sad smile as he offered her his hand to help her up.

" Mum, mum! Look! A dragon, Scorp loves dragons!" said Rose, her tone filled with excitement for the stuffed animal Hugo held up to Hermione.

"How do you know he loves dragons?" asked Harry.

"He told me one day…when he saw me crying,…" said Rose. To Hermione's horror she saw Rose's lip begin to tremble, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Hey hey don't cry," said Hermione as she kneeled down and embraced her in a hug. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just…he's my friend he talks to me…when I'm sad. He'll leave just like dad, everybody leaves me…" she said. "Nobody cares about me."

"That's not true, your father loved you…no that's a lie, your father still loves you very much. He watches over you every single day, I care about you and love you very much too. Your brother loves you, uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny never say that nobody cares about you," she said as she wiped the tears off Rose's face smiling warmly at her.

"I love you too," she spoke quietly, hugging Hermione tightly.

"I know you do. Now here's a galleon go pay for the dragon and get some sweets for your brother and Scorpius," said Hermione as she handed Rose the galleon. Not one second later Rose and Hugo were running throughout the shop once more.

"She isn't handling it very well is she?" asked Harry worriedly.

"She pretends she is, and sometimes I believe she's truly handling it very well but she's like me in that sense. She knows how to hide her feelings well but Draco catches her every so often crying by herself."

"I thought he didn't talk," spoke Harry.

"He doesn't…at least not to me or Hugo, well not that I'm aware of."

"Granger."

"Malfoy!" she yelped out in surprise holding her hand against her chest. "How is he? Is he alright? What was wrong?"

"Breathe Granger, he's doing much better. He's resting for now." His hair was a disarrayed mess, there were dark circles surrounding his making him look much exhausted than he had just a few hours before.

"When will he be able to go home?" asked Harry.

"He will be here overnight just to make sure that none of the potions he was given will give him adverse reactions," he said. "I've asked for a large private room where we can all stay till morning. We can start setting up the wards as soon as you're ready Potter."

"Let's get going then," said Harry.

"Are you alright?" asked Hermione worriedly, pulling him by his arm as he started to walk away from them.

"We'll talk later Granger…we need to set up the wards as fast as possible. We're completely vulnerable for attacks right now."

Nothing was said for about twenty minutes as they sped through the vast white halls of St. Mungos navigating through a sea of lime green robes of healers who were running back and forth. Once they were in the room she settled Hugo and Rose in a separate bed. Scorpius lay there silently sleeping wearing the same expression he had that morning but his complexion had a healthy tint to it already, unlike earlier where he could be compared to a corpse.

"Mummy?" said Rose, breaking Hermione out of here inner thoughts.

"Yes, " said Hermione as she smiled down at her daughter.

"Can I wake him?" she said. "I want to give him the dragon and I bought chocolate frogs too, please mum," begged Rose.

"Not right now," Hermione sat down on the floor in front of her, fixing her hair in the process. "He's resting right now, he's been through a lot in the last couple of hours. Don't you think?" Rose nodded solemnly, agreeing with her mother.

Harry and Draco entered the room with trays of food, talking quietly amongst themselves. "What's going on?" asked Hermione as Harry sat the trays on table that was in the corner of the room.

"Nothing, we're leaving at dawn so I need you two to have any potions or supplies needed for Scorpius ready by dawn the Portkey has been set up already. Now eat none of you have had breakfast."

"I'm not very hungry at the moment, but thanks anyways Harry."

"Eat, Granger, " said Malfoy as he helped her up from her current position on the floor. She stood up begrudgingly but began to eat as she sensed Draco staring at her as if forcing her to eat.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the long wait guys, I promise you I have no intention of abandoning this story anytime soon. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.**


	10. Awareness

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter universe, all credit goes to the brilliant J.K Rowling.**

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><p>It was nearing midnight and Hermione hadn't managed a wink of sleep resulting in a night of tossing and turning on a magically expanded couch that Malfoy had ordered to be brought in. Rose and Hugo lay on two separate smaller cots near her sleeping peacefully after the exhausting day they had. Everyone in the room had been fast asleep for about four hours and all she could manage to think about were the Malfoys. <em>Why?<em> She couldn't even answer that question herself; it was a mind-boggling experience.

Malfoy sat in a chair at the far end of the room. The moment she'd finished eating he went into his usual auror mode, he wouldn't leave his post by the door unless absolutely necessary, which included checking up on Scorpius and a toilet break here and there. They'd barely spoken; he'd even refused to make direct eye contact with her.

She stared at the man before her. He wasn't the insufferable git she used to know…he'd grown into something more. She watched as his chest rose and fell slowly, he looked at peace, his hair almost covering his eyes entirely and his head was lolled to the side uncomfortably. She felt the urge to brush his hair out of his face. _What are you thinking Hermione? Have you gone mad? _She thought remorsefully.

"Dad," spoke a small voice.

"Scorpius." She replied softly. Scorpius turned slowly towards her, his face flushed from the day's events. "I'm thirsty," he said groggily.

Hermione quickly walked to Scorpius' hospital bed and poured him a glass of water. "Sit up slowly Scorp, you're not doing so well," she said as she pressed the glass of water to his lips. He took a couple of small gulps before lying back down with Hermiones help.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly trying not to wake anyone in the room. He stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration debating whether to speak to her or not.

"I'm tired," he said groggily while staring up at her, his eyes drooped slowly. Sleep was beating him once more.

"Can't say I blame you," she smiled warmly at him. "You've been sick all day. You gave your dad and I quite a scare." Scorpius abruptly turned away from her trying to hide his face from her.

"Hey what's wrong?"

"You're going to leave…just like mum…" she could hear the sadness in his soft little voice and the quiet sniffling, he was crying. _Had Astoria really done that much damage to the poor boy_? "I made you mad…Storia left because I made her mad."

"Hey hey, I'm not mad," she said quietly as she sat down beside him and gently grabbed his chin turning his face towards her. He quickly shut his eyes trying to avoid her stare. "Look at me," she stroked his hair away from his face and wiped the few tears splattered across his cheeks. He slowly opened his eyes and stared back at her his eyes sad with emotion. "What made you think I was mad?"

"You, you said I scared you and father."

"Just because you gave us a bit of a fright doesn't mean I'm angry at you Scorp," she smiled softly.

"You promise?"

"I promise I'm not mad at you."

"No…do you, do you promise that you won't leave just like mum left me and father?"

In that moment she knew she would never abandon him, even after this whole nonsense was over and done with. She would make it her duty to visit him as often as she could, even if it involved frequent visits to Malfoy manner. Hermione hugged Scorpius tightly, embracing him in a motherly hug, the one thing he was missing the most in his life. She rubbed his back soothingly cooing him back to sleep. Sleep soon overcame her as well, with visions of the night she had spent at Malfoy manor flooding back to her. _Why didn't he do anything? _She could still see the pained expression on his face every time Bellatrix used the cruciatus curse on her. Then there was Ron; Ron who had finally come to save her, but the boy with the blond hair still stared at her silently begging her for forgiveness.

"Granger…Granger." She could hear a voice in the distance, it sounded oddly familiar. "Granger! Get up we have to leave in a few minutes."

"Malfoy…" she blinked rapidly trying to adjust to her surroundings. "What's going on?" Scorpius still lay beside her; his arms were wrapped tightly around her waist.

"I could ask you the same question. There's no time, I overslept and the portkey will go off any moment now, wake them I'll take Scorpius," he said hurriedly picking up Scorpius from the bed and waking him in the process.

She got up quickly. Stuffing the toys and snacks they had bought earlier in her bag she ran towards Rose and Hugo's beds gently waking them. "Time to get up we're going home." Rose quickly stood up and ran towards Malfoy. "Hugo sweetheart get up."

"Hmph I don't wanna go to gamma Molly's," he murmured sleepily.

"Here take Scorpius I'll take Hugo." Scorpius quickly wound his hands around her neck. "Damn it! The potions, where are they?"

"Draco they're in my bag…I didn't sleep well, I had a bit of time to spare." He stared at her.

"For once I'm glad your insomnia kicked in," He said warily. Malfoy quickly picked Hugo up and got a hold of Rose's hand. "Okay, Granger hold on tightly," said Malfoy as he grabbed onto a sculpture of gangly looking wizard. One moment she was in St. Mungo's and the next they were in the living area of their hideout.

"I'll never get used to that."

"And why is that?" asked Malfoy.

"I always get nauseous afterwards, you'd think I'd be used to it by now."

"Let's get them to bed."

Malfoy turned away from her and carried Hugo towards the bedroom he shared with Scorpius. _What's his problem? _She asked herself. Was he not telling her something she should know? She had grown used to his calm demeanor, but now…now he was just giving her the cold shoulder.

"Go to bed Rose. I'll come and tuck you in soon." Rose looked up at Hermione and nodded slowly walking away toward her room.

"Goodnight Scorp…I hope you feel better." Scorpius lifted his head from Hermione's shoulder and smiled down at Rose. "Thank you," he said timidly.

"Let's get you to bed young man, you need your rest too."

"Okay, Hermiii…mione" he said with difficulty.

Malfoy was just rolling up the covers over Hugo when she walked in with Scorpius. He stood up quickly holding out his arms in front of him gesturing her to hand Scorpius over. "Scorp, look someone's happy to see that you're awake," she said smiling down at him.

"Dad!" He yelled hoarsely flinging himself toward Malfoy.

"Hiya mate, how are you feeling?" he said all while scruffling his already messy set of hair.

"I'm tired."

"Hmm, well let's get you to bed then we can talk in the morning." He laid him down on the bed gently as if afraid to break him. He kissed his forehead and started to walk out of the room, Hermione following closely behind him. Malfoy was just about to close the door to his room when Hermione spoke up.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. His eyes roamed her face for a few minutes trying to decipher the question she was asking him. " You're just rather distant, I thought that shipped had sailed after that night?" Malfoys eyes practically bulged out of his face as he heard her words.

"I thought I told you I wasn't much for words."

"You did but you're avoiding me," she sighed. "Draco you can't even look me in the face right now you're staring at your bloody feet for Merlins sake!" She didn't know what was going on with her emotions but all she knew was that she felt a deep anger she couldn't explain.

"Stop yelling!" They were mere inches apart their noses almost touching when he grabbed onto her wrist.

"Let go of me Malfoy." She spat angrily. He quickly removed his hand and slammed the door to his bedroom. Hermione stood there confused touching her wrist…it felt like it was on fire.

"Mum, why were you and Scorps dad yelling?" asked Rose.

"It's nothing to worry about, come on lets you to bed."

Hermione tossed amd turned in her bed, the sun had already risen and she had yet to fall asleep. Her mind kept reeling her back to the _conversation_ she'd had with Draco earlier that morning. Maybe she'd been the one to overreact but the lack of eye contact. There was something more. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Her clock read 7AM she debated getting up but in the end she chose to lie there a few extra minutes before everyone else was up. Her eyelids drooped slowly she was trying to fight it but in the end she gave into the much needed sleep.

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><p>"<em>Hermione! For fucks sake hurry up!" yelled Ginny angrily.<em>

_Ready for what exactly? She was utterly confused; Ginny was once again dressed in her wedding gown fixing a few stray hairs away from her face._

"_Stop staring at me like a moron and zip me up will ya!" she yelled once more._

"_What's going on?"_

"_We're getting married and were not ready yet! That's what's going on," Ginny eyed her worriedly. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet?" _

_Her wedding with Ron, how could she forgot everything looked exactly the same. She looked down at her own gown, it was her wedding dress the one she'd fallen in love with the moment she laid eyes on it. _

"_No…no I'm not getting cold feet. I'm just distracted that's all," she said as she zipped Ginny up._

"_You two look beautiful." Mr. Weasley was standing by the door grinning widely at them, her father stood beside him sharing the same smile._

"_The ceremony is about to start. Are you two ready?" asked her father._

"_Ready as I'll ever be," she said as she slid her arm through her fathers. This was all a dream; she was revisiting the past. She still felt lightheaded and nervous just like the day she'd married Ron. It all disappeared the moment she saw him smiling at her the moment she stepped through the doors. Something was different this time around, she saw Harry smiling brightly at the sight of Ginny. It was the happiest she'd seen him in a long time. As she turned to stare at her betrothed she came to an abrupt stop, that definitely wasn't Ronald Weasley standing before her…the blond hair…the grey eyes. Draco._

She woke up gasping for air; she ran her hands through her hair trying to calm herself. _What is going on with you Hermione? It was just a dream, just a dream, only a dream, nothing more. _

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the long wait guys. I know this chapter is a bit short but I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter is dedicated to Will2Meaning who PM'ed me about the lack of updates, thank you for being a loyal reader. Don't forget to add me to your alerts and last but not least don't forget to Review. Feel free to PM here or sending me messages on Tumblr.  
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